Ed Bishop is dead

http://www.fanderson.org.uk/news.html#EdandMike

Two UFO actors died this week: Ed Bishop and Mike Billington.

I'm not much of an actor person, but Ed Bishop left an impression on me. Ed played Commander Straker in UFO. It's a series I enjoyed, but wasn't into big time. Straker was a character I liked, but didn't fall in love with or lust after.

I liked Ed becasue he was a gentle unassuming man who related to people and liked to attend conventions with his wife. I met him many years ago at Cult TV and he said a couple of things that I've never forgotten. He didn't charge for doing conventions becasue he didn't feel that being an actor was anything special. He said, "My daughter's a policewoman, and her job is far more important than mine."

Ed was special, because he didn't think he was.

Horse Riding

katlinel asked me to talk about horse riding.

I've never actually ridden a horse, my experience is limited to donkey rides on the beach as a child.

However, I know two interesting facts about horse riding, so I shall tell you about those.

Stirrups first appeared in China in the 4th century AD and spread rapidly. Stirrups changed the basic tactics of mounted warfare and made cavalry more important. Braced against the stirrups, a knight could deliver a blow with a lance that employed the full weight and momentum of horse and rider together.

Historically, horses used in warfare were much smaller than we tend to think. I remember an episode of time team where they dug up a bit and bridle (might have been Romano-British, but I'm not certain). It was of a size to fit a child's pony. However, it would have been ridden by an adult. If you look at the pictures on the BAyeux Tappestry http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/Bayeux24.htm you can see how close the riders' feet are to the ground.

And finally, a fact about horses rather than horse-riding. Some modern horses are enormous. Some Shire horses are staggeringly big. I remember standing next to one once. Not only was the horse enormous, but it had an erection the size of - well, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me.